Display fixture for portable electrical articles

ABSTRACT

A display fixture or device for the public display of one or more portable electrical articles having a permanently attached electric power cord or wire with a connector member of larger diameter than the cord or wire at its free end. The display fixture or device includes a rack or stand-type support having a plurality of circular apertures in a part thereof and an article attaching or security assembly comprising two overlapping platelike members each having a portion at an angle to another with two portions having notches in their opposite sides for the reception of the cord or wire of an electrical article on display and the other portions detachably connected to one another and to the rack or stand member by a blind fastener or anchor member, the shank of which extends through alignable apertures in the other portions of the plate-like members and an aperture in the rack or stand member.

Unite tates 1 3,722,3 1 51 Mar. 27, 1973 atent n 1 Enckler 154] DISPLAY FIXTURE FOR PORTABLE ELECTRICAL ARTICLES [75] Inventor: Albert J. Enckler, North Olmsted,

Ohio [73] Assignee: Keeler & Dunkel, Inc., Cleveland,

Ohio

[22] Filed: July 19, 1971 [21] Appl. No.2 163,914

[52] US. Cl ..248/300, 211/87, 248/D1G. 3, 248/309 [51] Int. Cl.- .L..A47g 23/02 [58] Field of Search ..248/309, 313, 312, 316 B, 314, 248/DIG. 3, 65, 68, 74 R, 300; 211/75, 89, 63,60 T, 75,232/41 E [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,231,462 2/1941 Cobb ..248/68 R X 3,350,976 11/1967 Topf ..85/37 1,316,255 9/1919 Rauch... ..248/68 R 3,331,915 7/1967 Lucci ..248/3 09 X 3,227,412 1/1966 Terlinde ..248/223 2,613,900 10/1952 Byrnie ..248/68 R 3,232,568 2/1966 Lennon et al ..248/309 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 768,339 2/1957 Great Britain ..248 56 Primary Examiner- 1. Franklin Foss Attorney-Watts, Hoffmann, Fisher & Heinke [57 ABSTRACT A display fixture or device for the public display of one or more portable electrical articles having a permanently attached electric power cord or wire with a connector member of larger diameter than the cord or wire at its free end. The display fixture or device includes a rack or stand-type support having a plurality of circular apertures in a part thereof and an article 3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Patented March 27, 1973 3,722,843

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ALBEIZT J. ENCK LEQ.

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ATTOIQNEYS Patented March 27, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ALBERT J. ENCK LEQ BY Wm, 7 fax/2m 7 ATTORNEYS DISPLAY FIXTURE FOR PORTABLE ELECTRICAL ARTICLES FIELD OF INVENTION The invention relates to display devices or fixtures with anti-theft means for the public display of electrical articles having cords or wire for connection to a power source by a connector at the free end of the cord or wire larger than the cord or wire.

PRIOR ART SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention provides a fixture for the public display of a portable electrical article having a permanently attached or connected power cord or wire with a connector at the free end which incorporate anti-theft means and which is nevertheless simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to operate and to which an article can quickly and easily be attached or released by simple tools such as a hammer, wrench, pliers, screw driver, and/or knife.

The present invention further provides a fixture of the character referred to comprising a support member provided with one or more apertures therethrough and a security bracket comprising a plurality of overlapping plate-like members having portions at an angle to one another with two portions having one or more notches in their opposite sides for the reception of one or more power cords connectedv to portable electrical articles and two other portions having alignable apertures therein connected together and to support member by a commercial headed fastener, preferably a blind fastener similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,976.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a racktype display fixture embodying the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of two of the parts of the fixture shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, with portions in elevation, approximately on the line 4-.-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but with parts in a different position;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a display fixture similar to that shown in FIG. I but showing an article attaching bracket of modified construction;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a display fixture similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but showing an article attaching bracket of modified construction; and

' FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views of two of the parts of the fixture shown in FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I through 5 and designated generally by' the reference cannot be readily removed from the fixture but can be character A comprising a stationary support member B having a plurality of apertures 12 therethrough and an article securing bracket C comprising two overlapping plate-like members 16, 18 each having portions 20, 22 and 24, 26, respectively, at an angle to one another. Two overlapping portions 22, 26 of the members 16, 18 have notches 30, 32, and 34, 36, respectively, in their opposite sides for the reception of the cord or wire 40, shown in FIG. 1 in phanton lines of an electrical appliance or article on display. The other two overlapping portions 20, 24 of said plate-like members, that is, the two overlapping portions not provided with the notches in their opposed sides are provided with holes 42, 44 of a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the holes 12 in the member B. The holes 42, 44 are adapted to be aligned and disaligned with one another upon relative movement of the plate-like members and the members 16, 18 are adapted to be connected together and to the support member B by a removable-type fastener or anchor D, preferably like the removable blind fastener disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,976, the disclosure of which patent including specification and drawings is incorporated herein by reference.

The fastener or anchor D shown will not be described in detail. Suffice it to say that it is like the fastener shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,976 and comprises two main parts, a headed body part 52 and a fastening or setting part54. Prior to assembly with the other members of the display the anchor member D is of the general configuration shown in FIG. 5. Subsequent to the insertion'of the member D into the aligned apertures 11, 42, 44 of the other members of the display fixture and with the head 56 of the anchor abutting the adjacent side of the member or part 18 of the bracket C, the setting or driving part 54 of the fastener is forced inwardly-relative to the body part 52 by the application of an inward force on the projecting end thereof preferably .by a blow as by .a hammer. When the end of the part 54 is within the head 56 it is retained therein by shoulders on the head 56 engaging over the end of the part 54.

With an electric appliance attached to the display fixture A in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1 with the cord thereof extending through two of the aligned slots 30, 34 or 32, 36, which form an aperture merely large enough to loosely receive the cord but not to allow the connector plug on the free end thereof to pass therethrough, it will be apparent that the appliance handled by a prospective purchaser. While it is possible to remove the fastener or anchor D from the member B and thus release the bracket assembly C and remove the appliance cord from the bracket, thiscannot be readily accomplished in a public location by an unauthorized person without the likelihood of being observed by other parties.

The display fixture-E, shown in FIG. 6, is similar to the fixture A shown in FIG. 1 except for the article securing bracket C and duplicate parts are designated by the same reference characters as employed in FIGS. 1 to 5. The corresponding but modified parts are designated by the same reference characters with. a

prime mark affixed thereto. The only difference between the article securing bracket C and the article securing bracket C is the fact that the free ends of the portions 22, 26' of the members 16', 18', respectively, of the bracket C are pivotally connected together by a rivet 60 extending through suitable apertures in the members l6, 18'. The bracket C is used in the same manner as the bracket C and will not be further described.

The display fixture F illustrated in FIG. 7 is similar to the display fixture illustrated in FIG. 1 except for the construction of the article securing bracket H. The bracket H comprises two plate-like members 64, 66 having portions 70, 72 and 74, 76, respectively, at right angles to one another. The portions 70, 74 of the members 64, 66 are essentially duplicates of the portions 20, 24 of the members l6, 18 of the bracket C, previously described, and have similar apertures 80, 82 therethrough for the reception of an anchor member D, for securing the bracket to the support member B of the fixture.

The portions 72, 76 of the members 64, 66 of the bracket H are generally rectangularly elongated in a direction parallel with the surface of the support member B as distinguished from the construction of the support bracket C shown in FIG. 1 wherein the corresponding portions 22, 26 of the corresponding members 16, 18 have their maximum length extending in a direction normal to the surface of the support member B. The opposite sides of the portions 72, 76 of the members 64, 66 are provided with notches 84, 86 and 88, 90, respectively, for the reception of a cord of an electric appliance to be displayed.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the peripheral edge of the portion 76 of the member 66, with the exception of the edge adjacent the support member B, is provided with a downwardly extending flange 92. The flange 92 not only enhances the appearance of the display fixture but also makes it more difficult for one to insert a tool, such as a screw driver, between the portions 72, 76 of the members 64, 66 to pry them apart in an effort to remove an article secured thereby. If desired, the members l8, 18' of the display brackets C, C', respectively, can be widened so that the near edges thereof, as viewed in the drawings, overlie the near edges of the members 16, 16' and the thus modified members 18, 18' provided with peripheral flanges similar to the flange 92 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 9.

From the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that the objects heretofore enumerated and others have been accomplished and that there has been provided a display fixture or device for the public display of portable electrical articles or appliances incorporating anti-theft means which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, canbe conveniently used and is attractive.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in considerable detail, the invention is not limited to the construction illustrated and referred to but may be otherwise embodied and it is the intention to hereby cover all adaptations, modifications and uses thereof which come within the practice of those skilled in the art to which the invention relates and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1. An article security display fixture for a portable electric appliance having a permanently attached power cord with a plug-in connector of larger diameter I than the cord attached to the free end thereof, said display fixture comprising: a planar support member having at least one hole therethrough; an article attaching assembly comprising two plate-like members each having first and second planar portions at an angle to one another, said first and second portions of one of said members at least partially overlapping said first and second portions of the other of said members, said overlapping parts of said first portions of said members having partially aligned slot-like apertures opening into opposite side edges thereof, said overlapping parts of said second portions of said members being provided with holes therethrough substantially the same size as the size of said hole through said support member and adapted to be aligned and disaligned upon relative movement of said members; and a removable-type fastener extending through said holes securing said members of said assembly together and said to said support member.

2. An article security display fixture as claimed in claim 1 in which one of said first portions of said members has a peripheral flange overlying an edge of the other of said first portions.

3. An article security display fixture for a portable electric appliance having a permanently attached power cord with a plug-in connector of larger diameter than the cord attached to the free end thereof, said display fixture comprising: a planar support member having at least one hole therethrough; an article attaching assembly comprising two plate-like members each having first and second planar portions at an angle to one another, said first and second portions of one of said members at least partially overlapping said first and second portions of the other-of said members, saidoverlapping parts of said first portions of said members having partially aligned slot-like apertures opening into opposite side edges thereof extending normal to' the plane of said second portions thereof, means pivotally connecting said overlapping parts of said first portions of said members together adjacent to the ends thereof remote from said second portions thereof, said overlapping parts of said second portions of said members being provided with holes therethrough substantially the same size as the size of said hole through said support member and adapted to be aligned and disaligned upon relative movement of said members about said assembly 7 

1. An article security display fixture for a portable electric appliance having a permanently attached power cord with a plug-in connector of larger diameter than the cord attached to the free end thereof, said display fixture comprising: a planar support member having at least one hole therethrough; an article attaching assembly comprising two plate-like members each having first and second planar portions at an angle to one another, said first and second portions of one of said members at least partially overlapping said first and second portions of the other of said members, said overlapping parts of said first portions of said members having partially aligned slot-like apertures opening into opposite side edges thereof, said overlapping parTs of said second portions of said members being provided with holes therethrough substantially the same size as the size of said hole through said support member and adapted to be aligned and disaligned upon relative movement of said members; and a removable-type fastener extending through said holes securing said members of said assembly together and said assembly to said support member.
 2. An article security display fixture as claimed in claim 1 in which one of said first portions of said members has a peripheral flange overlying an edge of the other of said first portions.
 3. An article security display fixture for a portable electric appliance having a permanently attached power cord with a plug-in connector of larger diameter than the cord attached to the free end thereof, said display fixture comprising: a planar support member having at least one hole therethrough; an article attaching assembly comprising two plate-like members each having first and second planar portions at an angle to one another, said first and second portions of one of said members at least partially overlapping said first and second portions of the other of said members, said overlapping parts of said first portions of said members having partially aligned slot-like apertures opening into opposite side edges thereof extending normal to the plane of said second portions thereof, means pivotally connecting said overlapping parts of said first portions of said members together adjacent to the ends thereof remote from said second portions thereof, said overlapping parts of said second portions of said members being provided with holes therethrough substantially the same size as the size of said hole through said support member and adapted to be aligned and disaligned upon relative movement of said members about said pivotal connection of said first portions thereof to one another; and a removable-type fastener extending through said holes securing said members of said assembly together and said assembly to said support member. 